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Saakashvili: My party failed to listen to people

TBILISI, DFWatch — Mikheil Saakashvili Tuesday admitted his National Movement party had done too much talking instead of listening to people’s problems.

The president was meeting with his party’s candidates for Adjara’s High Council.

He said that during the election campaign, they missed several important issues.

“The first thing is that we spoke much more than we listened to problems,” he explained at the meeting,

“The second problem is that we were more focusing on progress rather than current problems. We implemented very fast reforms. The whole world is applauding these reforms, which turned Georgia into a model country in the region, but at the same time we did those reforms faster than society was ready for.”

He said unfortunately several generations got alienated from those reforms as they didn’t consider themselves to be part of the reform process.

The president appealed to his fellow party members that they are in opposition now, and should oppose not the country but certain issues.

“We should use all levers and we have many levers as we are in parliament and our voice will always be important.”

While opening a wax museum in the port city Batumi, the president wished for the new government to do more than they did.

As he was at the airport leaving for Bucharest, Saakashvili made a video appeal commenting on the future government and procedures defined by the constitution. He expressed readiness once again to cooperate with the new government, which society has elected.

“It is not about whether or not I as president or politician like future government staff. The thing is that this is the will of the Georgian people, so we will cooperate with any staff which is presented by a coalition that is in majority after the election.”

Mikheil Saakashvli said he wishes that the winning coalition fulfills its promises to the fullest and continue Georgia’s progress, and that he hopes the opposition will fulfill its role in keeping a check on the government.